Infant hurt in car crash battling for her life at a hospital in Salalah

By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief

13:00 August 21, 2012

Muscat: The infant, who was hurt in a fatal accident in Thumrait in southern Oman on Monday morning, is battling for her life at the Royal Hospital in Salalah.

The two families involved in the accident in Oman’s southern region on Monday were not UAE residents but are from Muscat.

The accident occurred in the mountainous area near Wadi Waghala in Thumrait, about 800km south of Muscat.

“There were no other vehicles involved,” Major Saeed Al Badawi, a spokesperson for the Royal Oman Police’s Public Relations Department, told Gulf News. He said the vehicle rolled over seven times.

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“We were four adults, four children, including two infants, in the car when a tyre burst and it rolled over,” Abdul Kareem, who was driving the salon car, told Gulf News.

Abdul Kareem and his friend P.T.Sharji were taking turns during the long 1000-km drive to Salalah from Muscat.“I was driving when the tyre burst and the car rolled several times,” he added.

Both Abdul Kareem and Sharji were in front seats and had their seat belts on while their wives and children were at the back. “The back seat passengers were thrown out after the glass cracked,” a witness said.

Sharji’s wife Deepa died on the spot while Abdul Kareem’s two-year-old son, Mohammad Saljas, died at the hospital. “Sharji’s 14-month-old daughter, Diana Sharji, is in a coma and the condition is still critical,” a source at the hospital told Gulf News.

Deepa had returned to Muscat last Friday after a long post-delivery stay in India. “She had gone to India for delivery and came back only last Friday,” a friend of the families said.

Both Abdul Kareem and Sharji are suppliers at the Marbella Vegetable Wholesale Market and had gone to Salalah for Eid holidays. “They had decided to surprise their friends in Salalah and didn’t inform them about their arrival,” the friend said.

Abdul Kareem, his wife Razia and Sharji sustained minor injuries and were discharged from hospital on Monday night.

The Royal Oman Police have advised motorists to check on the condition of the vehicle, including tyres, before taking long journeys across the country during the holidays.

The police have also urged all motorists to adhere to speed limit and avoid dangerous overtaking, especially on mountainous roads.

Car smashes into bridge

In another incident on Monday, a European man died when his car smashed into the highway bridge at Emirates Road in Umm Al Quwain in the UAE.

It is understood that the man, a UAE resident, was speeding when he lost control as he approached the bridge.